The present invention is directed toward a collapsible mast assembly for a sailboat and, more particularly, toward such an assembly which supports the mast but which allows the same to be raised and lowered quickly and easily with the sail, boom, halyard, etc. in place at all times.
Various arrangements have been proposed in the past to provide a sailboat with a mast which can be easily moved between an upright operative position and a substantially horizontal inoperative position in order to facilitate the transporting of the sailboat by a trailer or the like. In the majority of these prior systems such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 145,648; 477,477; 4,112,861; 4,259,917 and 4,453,482, the mast is hinged to a base plate or to a support member which is fixed or hinged to a base plate and the mast is raised or lowered by pivoting the same with respect to the base plate or support member. While such systems may be of some benefit, they have generally been relatively complex. Furthermore, only pivotal movement of the mast is possible. When the mast is in its horizontal position, it cannot be moved linearly without disconnecting the pivot means. As a result, a relatively long mast may extend too far past the stern of the boat. Even further, when the mast is pivoted to a support member, the support member must be strong enough to support the mast and the great forces applied thereto when the wind hits the sail.
U.S. Pat. No. 282,592 shows a system for supporting a mast wherein the mast passes through a ring which is pivoted to the thwart or hood of a sailboat and the lowermost end of the mast fits into a step connected to the bottom or keel of the boat. The mast is lowered into its inoperative position by lifting the same slightly to remove the bottom of the mast from the step and then tilting the mast backward as the ring pivots. In its horizontal position, some limited linear movement of the mast is possible although it is somewhat limited since the bottom of the mast is within the interior of the boat and, therefore, can be moved forwardly only a very small amount. Furthermore, the boom of this patent is connected directly to the mast and accordingly the same must be disconnected before the mast can be pivoted into its inoperative position.